‘Men AND women, not men OR women:’ Dr Luke Evans MP on masculinity, health and the‘manosphere’’
By Palatinate Profile
It is perhaps unsurprising that the 2017 British Public Speaking Champion can make his point in a clear and articulate manner. Nevertheless, when talking to Dr Luke Evans MP, you are struck by his zealous energy and detailed knowledge of health and wellbeing.
Indeed, as a former GP and the incumbent Member of Parliament for Hinckley and Bosworth in Leicestershire, Dr Evans speaks with a refreshing sense of openness and expertise that comes through managing two challenging careers by the age of 43. That jump from medicine to politics is the subject of my first question, to which he responds that there are many overlaps, stating that ‘being a good local MP is quite similar to being a good GP, you’re identifying and then hoping to solve problems.’
His connection to the NHS is one that clearly runs deep; a mum who was a nurse, a dad who was a GP, he is also married to a GP and his two brothers are also involved in medicine. Therefore, it is unsurprising that Kemi Badenoch, the Leader of the Opposition, has entrusted him to be the Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care in Parliament, having previously been a member of the Health and Social Care Select Committee from March 2020 to December 2022.
The primary focus of our discussion today relates to his proposal to introduce a dedicated Minister for Men and Boys within the Equalities Department of the UK Government, which currently does not exist. Few will dispute that there is a full-blown crisis relating to conceptions of masculinity, misogyny and men’s mental health, but the approach to dealing with these issues is not yet universally agreed upon.
Pressed on what a dedicated role within government could achieve, he responds that;
‘Having a minister that can delve into all those departments and look through the lens of, in this case men and boys selectively, will be really important to join those policies together.’
‘After all that was the vision that Tony Blair had when he brought in a Women’s and Equalities Minister 30 years ago, because women were falling behind according to various metrics, so the understanding was that we should have someone that coordinates across government departments.’
‘30 years forward, on most metrics men are starting to fall behind, be it going to jail, be it attainment in schools, in terms of suicide, and so actually having someone to look through the lens of men and boys would be really helpful in my eyes.’
The ‘metrics’ that he is alluding to reflect the fact that; the current male suicide rate in the UK is 14 taking their own life every single day; 95% of the UK prison population are men; and youngs boys being twice as likely to be permanently excluded from school.
Quizzed on his statement on a Good Morning Britain interview that our approach needs to be designed for ‘Men and Women, not Men or Women,’ he is keen to stress that both male and female perspectives are vital to this discussion, emphasising the idea of ‘a family looking across society, saying how do we support each other to get that improvement.’
‘I often argue that if men are from Mars and women are from Venus, then at the moment governments are concentrating on just one planet, not the entire solar system.’
Adapting to the changing modes of engagement with modern politics, he has built a substantial following of 56,000 on TikTok, by providing his viewers with a behind-the-scenes foray into his work and campaigns as an MP. Paradoxically, it is on those very social media platforms that toxic views still ferment and accumulate, dependent on the algorithms that materialise.
To combat this, he calls for greater ‘transparency’ when it comes to those algorithms, citing the dangerous advertising of anorexia pills on Facebook as a clear example of why inaction is no longer an option. After all, as he identifies, these problems are hardly new (the anorexia example was first highlighted in the US Congress in 2021).
Yet, greater online prominence also leaves greater exposure to criticism. In that same GMB interview, femenist campaigner Amy Desir put across the argument that men are already ‘over-represented’ within society, and having such a minister would be effectively ‘double representation.’
Furthermore, when it comes to Durham students, there are still those who remain sceptical of his proposal. In a poll conducted by Palatinate Politics, under the question ‘Is it now time for a Minister for Men and Boys?,’ it is a dead heat between those who would support his initiative and those who are opposed to it, with 13 votes apiece. It is evident therefore that many still need to be convinced that his suggestion is the correct way to address the problem of toxic masculinity.
I ask him why he thinks that his suggestion is not current government policy. He outlines how government is often reactive, arguably sometimes too reactive, and that due to a ‘limited number of ministers’ then it would be a good demonstration of government’s priority to tackle these issues head on, by having a figurehead with the mandate and authority to inspire change.
Turning to the ‘manosphere’ – the profileration of extreme chauvinist and misogynistic views through online platforms – I invite him to give his reflections on Louis Theroux’s latest documentary – Inside the Manosphere;
‘Number one, its fantastic that he’s raising a spotlight to it, I think it’s great that he’s shining a light on the extremes. But, for me he missed the focus of why so many men and boys are following these these guys. There are some, strong, stoic principles that I think men particularly lean towards, the problem is that they are manipulated into turning into misogyny or Ponzi schemes or whatever else you happen to see.’
‘For me, what I’d like to see more of is why are so many young men and boys being drawn into this space. I hope the next phase of this documentary and the fact that society is waking up to it is saying what can we do still have the good characteristics that we want to see in modern men that will take us forward into the next couple of decades’
He expresses another concern that the space being created for the likes of the Tate brothers speaks to an absence of clear, positive masculinity within our society, citing an example when he speaks to audiences of young men who cannot point to positive male role models within their lives.
But what about the inverse of toxic masculinity? What are those ‘good characteristics’ that underscore positive masculinity?
‘I think it’s a matter of standing up for what you believe in, being kind, being honest, being open and up front.’
‘Men want to solve their problems; they don’t necessarily want to talk about them. They want to come together and solve their problems and have a place of purpose and have a place of reason in society and if we’ve taken that away, with men being more unemployed and not attaining in school then they’ll get lost, and it’s no surprise that people call this the lost boys’ generation on that basis.’
His eyes light up when I ask him about his motivation to be an MP, how is he driven to serve his constituents?
‘To make things better’ he replies, after a beat. ‘I guess I went into being a doctor to make people better I’ve stepped into being an MP to make my community, my country and maybe even a little bit the world better.’
Whilst a ministerial appointment did not come knocking in his first 5-year term, he seems to thrive in spearheading initiatives that he is passionate about, such as his body image campaign in 2021, where he argued for body image to be formally recognised in the Online Harms Bill.
‘I would get repeated images sent to me of guys with shoulders wider than a fridge, with waists narrower than a dogs bowl, and whilst one image in itself is not a problem, repeated 100 images in the span of a minute really is.’
Concluding our discussion, he expressed a healthy ‘nervousness’ for those people who wish to ‘change the world.’
‘It may sound cheesy, but I want to solve the world because there’s enough problems out there that need solving.’
Whilst he may not profess to ‘change the world’ directly, Dr Evans is certainly looking to make his mark on modern problems relating to masculinity, health, and wellbeing in a modern world that seems to be crying out for solutions.
Image Source: Luke Evans ©House of Commons/Roger Harris
